Most thought that the recruitment of Pittsburgh (Pa.) Fox Chapel offensive lineman Miles Dieffenbach would end soon, but not this way.

As recently as Monday, Dieffenbach noted that he wanted to take his visits and get more of an idea of where his recruitment was headed, and most considered him a lock to hometown Pittsburgh.

The three-star prospect then took an unofficial visit to Penn State on Tuesday, and came away with some unexpected news.

"I went up and visited Penn State again today and spent the day with coach Bradley and coach Paterno," he said. "My mom got to come up this time; she wasn't there the first time, so she came up to see it and she liked it a lot.

"At the end we went into Coach Paterno's office and I did it right there. I committed."

Dieffenbach's shocking announcement came just a week after he received an offer from the Nittany Lions.

"I wasn't really holding out for it. I mean, I grew up a Pitt fan all my life and always hated Penn State, so when they offered me, I wasn't really that into it," said Dieffenbach. "But then I visited and it was different from what I thought. I loved it, and the tables turned."

The 6-foot-4, 277-pound prospect, who was the offensive line MVP at the State College Nike Camp last month, said that he just felt at home in State College.

"They have everything that I want," he said. "You can't deny that they were the Big Ten champions; that stands out a lot. It's close enough but far enough away. I like Coach Anderson a lot, too."

Dieffenbach was an all-state and all-conference selection as a junior. He is also a three-year letter winner and a member of the National Honor Society.